The world praises Benzema’s “Panenka”! Which stars have used it and which have broken their teeth on it?

The way Karim Benzema took the penalty in yesterday’s Champions League semi-final reminded the whole world of Antonin Panenka’s flashback at the 1976 Euros. Which players tried to emulate him and how did they fare with their bold attempt?

Antonín Panenka became famous all over the world with his Vršovice long ball

In the final of the European Championship, the Czechoslovak national team took on West Germany and the match went down to penalty kicks after a 2-2 draw. After Uli Hoeneß missed his chance, Antonín Panenka took the decisive kick and became famous all over the world thanks to the Czech public. This left the then mainstay between the sticks Sepp Maier with nothing to cry about.

World football icon Pelé described “Panenka” as the work of “either a genius or a madman”, while Antonín Panenka himself had to tame the passions of the world media. “I suspect that Maier doesn’t like the sound of my name very much,” Panenka told Goal. “I didn’t want to mock him, I chose that penalty because I believe it was the easiest recipe to score the winning goal,” the Czech international added.

Who successfully imitated the famous “Panenka”?

The memorable moment has, of course, been written in bold letters in the history of the sport and since then many footballers have tried to emulate the Czech international’s skills in the greatest matches in football history.

Perhaps the most famous copy of ‘Panenka’ was made by the legendary Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 World Cup final, when he put his native France in the lead against Italy. The fact that the Frenchman used such a kick in such an important match, and against goalkeeping legend Gianluigi Buffon, is all the more admirable.

The match ultimately ended in disappointment for the French star as he was sent off for a headbutt to Marco Materazzi and France eventually lost the final match on penalties. Still, the moment went down in world football history.

Another star who successfully converted a penalty was Andrea Pirlo. The Italian converted his opportunity at Euro 2012 against England. “I made the decision at the last second when I saw Joe Hart, the England goalkeeper, doing all sorts of tricks on his line,” explained the Italian midfielder.

“When I started to run, I still hadn’t decided what I was going to do, but when he moved, my mind was made up,” Pirlo described the thoughts going through his head. England advanced to the semi-finals of the EURA thanks to his penalty, but fell short in the final to a spirited Spain.

In the modern era of football, we would certainly highlight the rival duo of Ramos-Messi, who currently share a dressing room at Paris Saint-Germain. Both of them have used ‘Panenka’ very often and both of them have been very successful with these kicks. “Ramos is undoubtedly one of the best kick imitators in the world, ” Panenka himself reportedly said.

Players who have broken their teeth on her

Of course, the nature of the technique and the high-pressure situations in which it is often used make it a risky business. Not all players have been as lucky as the aforementioned football stars.

Perhaps the most notorious failure was Sergio Aguero, who snubbed an increase in his Manchester City lead against Chelsea last season and had his cheeky attempt defused by Édouard Mendy. The London club eventually turned the match around thanks to an unconverted penalty by Aguero, delaying Manchester City’s championship celebrations.

“I would like to apologise to my teammates, the management and the fans for not taking the penalty,” Aguero lamented after the game. “It was a bad decision and I take full responsibility for it,” added the disappointed canon.

Serbia’s Aleksandar Mitrovic also poured ashes on his head after the missed penalty. He also missed a penalty kick in a 2018 Nations League match when he put too much power into his long ball.

“Yesterday I watched Memphis Depay score a goal like that and I made a last-minute decision,” Mitrovic lamented after the game. “I’m stupid,” added the disappointed player.

But perhaps the most expensive failed attempt cost Frenchman Yann Kermorgant, who played for Leicester in the 2009/2010 season in the semi-final of the play-offs of the second highest English competition against Cardiff. The game had reached the penalty kick stage and Kermorgant’s audacious attempt did not put the necessary height or power into the kick, leading to an easy save from goalkeeper David Marshall. This cost the then Leicester team the loss of the opportunity to participate in England’s top competition.

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